Tendency for people to take their own lives due to deprivation of love and warmth from the society and loved ones has increased in unprecedented volumes over the years. Thus it is high time the stigma prevailing in Sri Lankan society as regards to mental health and suicidal thoughts is erased for good.
People who live in shells swathed with such negative thoughts are seldom seen by the society, let alone the clergy. We do not proactively pay attention to their fears but rather address these situations in a reactive manner.
Putting a mentally sick person in an asylum or grieving over a dead body of a girl or a boy who has died by suicide is not what the world expect from a sensible community. The need for better awareness on mental health has become critical.
Footsteps to Freedom
`Footsteps to Freedom’ is a walk along the coastal belt of the island to raise the nation’s awareness on mental health and suicide prevention even in the most remote parts of the island.
A set of energetic youth have come forward to create awareness within the society of this adverse situation prevailing and discuss proactive ways of eradicating it. Via Footsteps to Freedom journey they have been able to address many a strata of the society on mental health and suicide prevention.
Nivendra Uduman, Sara Nazoor and Ranil Thilakaratne have spent almost three months travelling within Sri Lanka by foot. Nivendra is a counselling psychologist while Sara is a trainee psychologist. Ranil is from CCCline 1333, an organization that works primarily in the area of suicide prevention.
These young people have walked around the coast for over 1,400 kilometres and touched more than half a million lives, in an effort to erase the shame among vulnerable persons and raise awareness on mental health and suicide prevention.
In 73 days they have conducted over 100 interactive sessions and workshops in schools, hospitals and various other places of importance and even in nooks and corners of remote villages during their walk around Sri Lanka.
On June 12, concluding the journey that began on April 1, 2018, they returned home to Colombo’s Independence Square.
Speaking to the Daily News, Ranil Thilakaratne said “We walked to mingle with the people and share thoughts on mental well being. Our object was to shatter the stigma that prevents people from seeking help”.
“We managed to save lives. People who were on the verge of committing suicide came out of the shadows to talk to us. We were able to refer them to counsellors and doctors. People who had addictions were eager to talk to us and find out ways and means to give up those addictions. Other than talking to people one-on-one we conducted workshops at various entities”, he added.
Ranil highlighted the need for better awareness of the services that exist to support those struggling with their mental health.
“A 15 year old girl has died by suicide, and it was harrowing to learn of her reason. She was a victim of rape and she has felt that she would be blamed and judged for what happened to her even though it was beyond her control. People need to know about the services that are available”, he stressed.
Founder of ‘Footsteps to Freedom’ Nivendra Uduman highlighted how important it is to simply listen to vulnerable persons.
“A deputy principal of a school spoke about thoughts he was having towards ending his life due to health issues. He said he felt relieved after talking to me”, he said.
Sara Nazoor as a trainee psychologist has found herself listening to many women who have revealed they had suicidal thoughts but were at the receiving end. Sara pointed to practical problems in the system that prevents better care for vulnerable persons.
“Language barrier has taken its toll many a time. When a Tamil woman had called the toll-free number counsellors who could speak in Tamil weren't available. It was heart wrenching to know that at times I was the only person who was checking up on them”, said Sara.
Add new comment